This book was not at all what I expected, even though I went in knowing nothing – which you should too – it was still a surprise in many ways. With that said I’m going to try and review this book whilst being super light on the details so it will probably be a short one!
Never Let Me Go is a super eerie book that is set at a kids boarding school.
“All children have to be deceived if they are to grow up without trauma.”
Described by our protagonist as idyllic and a wonderful place to grow up, it might seem ok on the surface but to the reader it becomes increasingly clear that something underlying is going on.
We experience Never Let me Go through the eyes of one protagonist, telling essentially the story of her life and how she got to where she is today. Starting off with her quite young, we’re experiencing a lot of this novel from the POV of an adult remembering childhood moments and analysing them with perspective and nostalgia. We as the reader must gain this perspective throughout the novel, and as such are experiencing the events with more of an in the moment feeling rather than the retrospective contemplation that the protagonist experiences. As such is kind of feels like you’re getting told a story from Kathy rather than the author. This style felt unique and powerful, but also a bit slow at times.
“It had never occurred to me that our lives, which had been so closely interwoven, could unravel with such speed. If I’d known, maybe I’d have kept tighter hold of them, and not let unseen tides pull us apart.”
Still keeping light on the actual plot details, I can say that some of the mastery of this novel comes from its insistence on showing over telling, a bit of a dying art in a lot of the feel good contemporary books I read these days. Everything you learn about what’s happening is pretty much inferred from the childhood stories Kathy shares. Things will be mentioned that make absolutely no sense, we’re told as if we live in this world, and it is only as the stories go on that we piece together the bigger picture. Even towards the end we’re never explicitly sat down and told anything point blank, but the amazing part is, at that point it’s not even needed, we’re so in deep in Kathy’s life and head we’re on the same page until the very end.
“We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we’ve lived through, or feel we’ve had enough time.”
My one star off element was the length and how it felt too long. As I mentioned as we are essentially told a lot of childhood stories, it does take some time to get anywhere and at times I was wishing it would hurry up and get going! Whilst the language and writing style definitely sucked in and I think was a strength of the book, I think I could have liked it even more with around 20% content shaved off.
“Your life must now run the course that’s been set for it.”
That’s pretty much all I should probably say on this one! Hope you pick this one up and happy reading!
“Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading.”
Katie's Books and Reviews 
Wonderful review as always
Sent from my iPhone
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